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Obama Spins Bush

Mark McKinnon' account of George W. Bush's flight out of Washington includes this interesting observation:

Obama too has warmed to President Bush during this period of peaceful, diplomatic, and graceful transition. He now believes, as does anyone who knows President Bush, that he is a “good guy” and that “he made the best decisions that he could at times under some very difficult circumstances.”

I say "interesting" for reasons other than the ones McKinnon thinks. Obviously, Obama doesn't believe that Bush made the best decisions he could, or even that he made defensible decisions. But the fact that Obama is apparently able to persuade Bush and his loyalists that he believes this suggests that his personal political skills are extremely strong.

--Jonathan Chait